Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit will be installed on Nov. 21 as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of San Pablo in Laguna province.
The installation Mass will take place at the Cathedral of St. Paul the First Hermit in San Pablo City, coinciding with the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pope Francis on Sept. 21 appointed Maralit, who has been the bishop of Boac for the past nine years, to a much larger ecclesiastical territory.
From leading a small island diocese of only 14 parishes with 14 priests and a population of around 250,000, he will now serve San Pablo, which has 91 parishes, 150 priests, and a population of around three million.
“I felt some form of fear and apprehension,” Maralit said. “Just thinking about the changes and the realities in such a setting was somehow overwhelming and was even making me doubt myself.”
The 55-year old shared that after nearly 10 years as its bishop, Boac had already become his home.
“And this new appointment means I will be leaving the priests and faithful who have shown me only love and affection. I will be leaving the same people I have really grown to love and genuinely care for,” he said.
However, this new phase of his journey, he added, reminded him of his commitment when he became bishop in 2014 to no longer question God’s will, “but rather to fully trust Him.”
“[From] sadness, fear and apprehension, it eventually became a feeling of hope and trust,” Maralit said. “God’s wisdom and grace will always be greater than my fears and inadequacies!”
